SB2345eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2345 Engrossed LRB094 16207 RAS 51451 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing Act is amended by changing Section 20 as follows:

(225 ILCS 107/20)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2013)

Sec. 20. Restrictions and limitations.

(a) No person shall, without a valid license as a professional counselor issued by the Department: (i) in any manner hold himself or herself out to the public as a professional counselor under this Act; (ii) attach the title "professional counselor" or "licensed professional counselor"; or (iii) offer to render or render to individuals, corporations, or the public professional counseling services if the words "professional counselor" or "licensed professional counselor" are used to describe the person offering to render or rendering them, or "professional counseling" is used to describe the services rendered or offered to be rendered.

(b) No person shall, without a valid license as a clinical professional counselor issued by the Department: (i) in any manner hold himself or herself out to the public as a clinical professional counselor or licensed clinical professional counselor under this Act; (ii) attach the title "clinical professional counselor" or "licensed clinical professional counselor"; or (iii) offer to render to individuals, corporations, or the public clinical professional counseling services.

(c) Licensed professional counselors may not engage in independent private practice as defined in this Act without a clinical professional counseling license. In an independent private practice, a licensed professional counselor must practice at all times under the order, control, and full professional responsibility of a licensed clinical professional counselor, a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a psychiatrist, as defined in Section 1-121 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.

(d) No association or partnership shall practice clinical professional counseling or professional counseling unless every member, partner, and employee of the association or partnership who practices professional counseling or clinical professional counseling, or who renders professional counseling or clinical professional counseling services, holds a currently valid license issued under this Act. No license shall be issued to a corporation, the stated purpose of which includes or which practices or which holds itself out as available to practice professional counseling or clinical professional counseling unless it is organized under the Professional Service Corporation Act.

(e) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting persons licensed as professional counselors or clinical professional counselors to engage in any manner in the practice of medicine in all its branches as defined by law in this State.

(f) When, in the course of providing professional counseling or clinical professional counseling services to any person, a professional counselor or clinical professional counselor licensed under this Act finds indication of a disease or condition that in his or her professional judgment requires professional service outside the scope of practice as defined in this Act, he or she shall refer that person to a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches or another appropriate health care practitioner.

(Source: P.A. 92-719, eff. 7-25-02.)